Literacy Now

HOME FOR CHRISTMAS by Jan Brett (G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 2011)
Pre-K through Third Grade

HOME FOR CHRISTMAS is a story about a young troll right before Christmas struggling to find his way in the world and family. The story opens with the narrator explaining that trolls’ tails fall off when they become helpful and kind. Instead of wanting that to happen, the troll, Rollo, runs away from home seeking to find someplace where he can “do what he wants.”

He attempts to live with many animals along the way and comes to a realization about helping. He thinks he won’t have to make a bed when he is with the owls’ family but then is forced to try to fly. With the bear family, Rollo was enjoying the luxury of not cutting wood until having a close call with a hive of bees. He also tried living with an otter family, a lynx family, and a moose family. Each place had its own trouble although it was different trouble than what Rollo was running away from. Rollo realizes that home is where he needs to be and has quite a creative trip getting back home with the aid of a shed moose antler. Once returning home, Rollo has a change of heart about helping out and the cat gets a new chew toy—Rollo’s tail.

As is common in Brett’s books, the inset pictures tell another side of the story. They show the actions of Rollo’s family missing him while preparing for Christmas on the left side of the story, and give hints to the next page’s events on the right side. As always, there is a picture story within the picture story.

Cross-curricular Connections: Character Education, Science, Reading, Art, Math

Ideas for Classroom Use:

Helping Out (Pre-K through Third Grade)

The purpose of this activity is to engage the children’s prior knowledge and events at home to help build on work ethic, reinforcing the skill of retelling and composing. After reading the book to children, discuss as a group or in small groups, the actions Rollo chose when confronted with work that might be boring or difficult. Talk with the students about different types of work done by each animal in the book and how each animal felt about their own work. Also discuss the change in Rollo’s behavior as he was exposed to new jobs and ideas.

Apply this knowledge to the students’ own lives and have them share in pairs or small groups what they find difficult or mundane as a chore at home. Have students work in pairs or individually to create a story about what they feel is a difficult task and compare it to something that could be even harder.

Final products could be written compositions for older students, or drawings with dictation for younger students. Have students share their work with classmates and encourage discussion. Remind students to use positive statements in order to be kind to other authors.

Timelines (Second and Third Grade)

The purpose of this activity is to have students compare the time Rollo spends away from home with the time it appears to be taking in the inset pictures, reinforcing the skill of sequencing. The story says that Rollo stayed with the owls until the owlets started to fly and with the bear family until the end of the summer. Have the students document changes through the pictures and the narrative of the story, estimating the number of days Rollo stayed in each place.

Then, in small groups or individually, have students create a time line of events in the story words and in the pictures on each page. Timelines should be written and illustrated with explanations. Display the time lines together so students can compare their time line to other groups. Discuss the differences between the perception of time for Rollo, the understanding of time by the groups in the time lines, and actuality.

Animals and Challenges (Pre-K through Third Grade)

After reading the story, talk with students about things animals do that we may not think of as work, reinforcing connection of prior knowledge to stories in books. Have students choose an animal to illustrate and tell about what the animal does that may be hard for a person to do. As a contrasting activity, have students discuss some things their animal does that a person may be able to do as well. Older students can research unusual animals and younger students can use familiar animals such as a dog or cat. Share information in a newscaster type setting for older students or in group meetings for younger students.

Additional Resources and Activities:

Jan Brett's website This website is the home of Jan Brett and includes links to her many books, activity pages, and interactive content. At the time of publication, no activities were included for HOME FOR CHRISTMAS, but many other activities would be adaptable to use with the book.

Wild Animals A-Z This website, hosted by Discovery, has a list of wild animals of all kinds. Mammals, birds, invertebrates, etc., are all included with videos, links to additional information, and interactive quizzes. This site would be a good starting point for choosing and learning about an animal.

Timelines: A Timeless Teaching Tool This article contains advice and ideas on using timelines to teach students of all ages. The information is broken down into subjects and grade levels. There are also multiple links to additional information concerning timelines.

Kathy Prater is a Reading Specialist and Pre-Kindergarten teacher in Starkville, Mississippi. She tutors students with dyslexia and teaches as an Adjunct Professor at Mississippi University for Women in Columbus, Mississippi. Her passions include reading, writing, and helping students at all levels to find motivation for lifelong reading and learning. She believes that every child can become a successful reader if given the right tools and encouragement. She has been teaching Christmas Around the World for multi-grade students for the past 18 years.

WANT TO WRITE FOR ENGAGE? Send your name, the grade level(s) you teach, the title of book that you put to work, and a line or two about how you use it in your classroom to engage-membership@/.

The Literacy Empowerment Foundation (LEF), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, invites schools and other literacy projects to apply for free books for Read Across America Day.

LEF Reading Resource Project books are available in a limited quantity on a first come, first served basis. Orders must be received by February 11, 2012.

Reading Resource Project books come in sets of 100 books per set. There will be at least 10 different titles in each set. Reading levels are available for Pre-K through Second Grade. Book selection and quantity is dependent upon availability, so there is no guarantee of specific titles. Books are sorted and shipped as close to a project's needs as possible, with regard to reading level and topic. Recipients merely pay shipping, handling, and administrative costs, which is only $0.68 per softcover book ($68 per set of 100 books). Most sets are shipped within 2 weeks.

The Reading Resource Project is an ongoing program that runs throughout the year. The program distributes softcover books FREE of charge for Read Across America Day, National Drop Everything and Read Day, Children's Book Week, International Children's Book Day, and other literacy programs. During the past year, LEF has distributed over 3,000,000 books to schools all across the country for Read Across America Day and other literacy projects. Visit the LEF website for more information.

 

IRA Books

ReadWriteThink Lesson Plans

Last month, I compared research to a row of tumbling dominoes, using my own experience in researching and writing the biography SACAGAWEA.

I’ve written novels, too, and if I could name one thing about the process that has most surprised me, it’s this: Writing fiction often requires as much research as writing nonfiction.

When you think about it, it makes sense. Any made-up story, regardless of genre, must have an element of truth. Truth lends a story integrity; it allows the suspension of disbelief. This is an obvious tenet for historical fiction, but it’s equally true for contemporary stories. THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN reads like a tall tale, until Sherman Alexie confides that the story truly is “absolutely true.” (I’ll happily interpret that as “absolutely mostly true,” because even autobiography benefits from good story structure. But that’s another blog post.)

Science fiction and fantasy must also contain elements of truth; perhaps even more so than realistic fiction, since the suspension of disbelief is even more important. WHEN YOU REACH ME, by Rebecca Stead, is set in a gritty, realistic 1970s New York City. This setting is so vividly rendered, and the characters are so true-to-life, that the story’s fantastical elements are readily accepted.

Even the highest fantasy requires research, though perhaps of a different sort. The completely fabricated world of THE HOBBIT builds upon ancient lore and languages, giving Tolkien’s story an aura of integrity and a connection to authentic culture and history.

In my own contemporary YA novel, JUMP THE CRACKS, a young teen tries to help an abused toddler, only to find herself running away with him. In order for readers to accept this premise, I needed to create a protagonist who would believably do such a thing, when confronted with a difficult choice. And so I establish that Victoria is mature enough to ride a train alone (and living in a place where train travel is common), yet immature enough to be impetuous—a child of divorce, with an emotional axe to grind.

Next, I needed to make Victoria’s journey logically possible, if not precisely, then at least nearly so. And so I studied Amtrak schedules and calculated the cost of train tickets. I checked the price of diapers. I read up on the GPS capabilities of cell phones (circa 2003). I don’t expect readers to put down the book and check Amtrak schedules (I hope they don’t!), but if they did, they would discover that Victoria’s journey was entirely possible. An author owes it to readers to get a story’s underpinnings right, or she will lose her readers’ trust.

How can this information be used in the classroom? Flip the author’s process and conduct backward research. For instance, instead of researching a topic first and then writing about it, students could choose a favorite piece of fiction—a picture book, a novel, even a fairy tale—and trace back one or more facts of the story.

Some stories’ facts are contained in small, telling details. For example, from CHARLOTTE’S WEB: Do farmers really bathe their pigs in buttermilk? Why? Why is Charlotte’s full name Charlotte A. Cavatica?

Other stories might be traced back to their origins in history. For example, the Pied Piper legend is supposedly based on true events in the real-life town of Hamelin, Germany. And vampire stories have been around for a long time. For how long? In what cultures? What purpose did the stories serve? Were the original vampire tales based on real people or events? Is there more to the origin than Vlad the Impaler?

Here are a few more examples of backward research that students might do:

Rumpelstiltskin: Is it possible to spin real thread made of gold? How is it done? How is gold thread used in science, or in art? Find some examples.

GOODNIGHT MOON: Notice the moon rising outside the window and moving across the sky as the pages turn. Younger kids could go home and record the movement of the moon outside their own windows. Older kids might consult an almanac to determine what time of day it is in the story, based on a chosen calendar date. Or, using the almanac again, imagine it’s 7:30 p.m. in the story. What might the calendar date be?

Hansel and Gretel: Write a recipe for gingerbread large enough to build a cottage ten feet wide and ten feet long. (This can get more complicated: What will the roof be made of? Will gumdrops be involved?)

As these examples show, any genre of fiction is fair game, and the level and depth of research can be adjusted to fit the grade level. Projects can span the curriculum, tying literature to history, science, math, and art.

In more ways than one, research is a way of getting at the truth—even the truth behind any work of fiction.

Stacy DeKeyser is the author of the nonfiction books SACAGAWEA and THE WAMPANOAG. Her YA novel JUMP THE CRACKS received a Truman Reader’s Award in Missouri, and has been nominated for South Dakota’s YARP Teen Choice Award. Her newest novel, THE BRIXEN WITCH, will be published in June 2012.



Beyond the Notebook: It's Only Natural to Write Nonfiction

December 20 marks 199 years since the quiet death of a young woman in a backwater frontier fort. A woman of low status and meager means, her passing would have gone unnoticed if not for one witness who knew about her role in a watershed event: the 1805-06 expedition of Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery. Without her participation, the expedition would likely have failed several times over. Westward expansion, and the history of our nation, might have taken a very different path. This woman was Sacagawea.

Or was she?

When I first set out to write about Sacagawea’s life, I didn’t know more than the basics. I certainly didn’t know about the two very different theories of her death, both of which have passionate supporters. But I was given an assignment: to research and write a comprehensive biography in 6,500 words or less, and I had six months to do it. By the time I was finished, I had become an expert on Sacagawea. Moreover, I had become a passionate fan myself, so that even now, six years after publishing her biography, I can’t get enough of her. But at the beginning, when I faced a daunting task, I started where most anyone would: I Googled her.

Is Google a bad thing? A good thing? Or is it just a thing? Author Philip Pullman, an outspoken advocate of public libraries in Great Britain, says that “using the internet is like looking at a landscape through a keyhole.” True enough. But it’s not the digital-ness that makes it so. It’s the limited-ness. The same can be said for getting all your information from any single source or database, whether that source is Google or one branch of the library. The information is incomplete; it’s filtered, it’s biased.

But it’s a start. Think of it as the first domino.

I like to imagine the research process as a winding, intersecting network of standing dominoes. The dominoes might be books, print journals, digital media, or real people. Just as with the real thing, gathering and setting up the dominoes takes time, planning, and steady guidance. But if it’s done right, one source leads to another, and another, and the result is a beautifully orchestrated tumble. And here’s the real payoff: Students who can set up their dominoes skillfully will have learned not just how to research, but how to research thoroughly enough to formulate their own opinions about what they’ve read. They may even sow a lifelong interest in their topic.

For those reasons, I hope teachers will let kids choose their own research topics to the extent it’s possible. In addition to having a sense of ownership, kids will have more fun studying a topic that already interests them, and goodness knows academics and fun are too rare a combination. Besides, is it possible for anyone to know too much about a topic? Deep digging is where true discovery lies. If a student is dragged kicking and screaming to research and write about Sacagawea, for instance, he may very well stop at the first domino and conclude that the two theories of her death have equal weight. But a student who’s already interested, even casually, will be motivated to dig deeper—deeply enough to sort out truth from speculation, opinion, or misinformation. Best of all, curiosity indulged can grow into a lifelong passion.

While in the throes of my own research, I was thrilled to discover that two theories of Sacagawea’s demise do not simply exist, but persist. And not just online, but in books, too. With that in mind, I wrote the line that became my favorite in the book: “It may never be known for certain which story is true.” How subversive! Suggesting that history is more than a pile of dry, immutable facts. That even experts don’t know everything there is to know. That relying on one or two sources is not sufficient historical research, because who knows what the third source might say, or the thirtieth? That just because something is written down doesn’t necessarily mean it’s The Truth.

Which brings us back to the dominoes. Which dominoes do we choose from the huge pile at our disposal, both in print and online? The challenge is the same as it’s always been: to find reliable information, and to know what to do with it. With the proliferation of information from a mind-boggling array of sources, students need teachers and librarians more than ever. Kids need to learn how to sort through all the information available to them, and how to judge the integrity of that information, so the initial nudge of curiosity can take them down the right paths.

Students who develop strong research skills will come to realize that even reliable sources can conflict. But that’s okay, because kids will learn another valuable lesson: that history is constantly being interpreted, and re-interpreted. They will also learn that their interpretation can be as valid as anyone else’s, especially if they’ve researched thoroughly.

Did Sacagawea die a quiet death in the wilds of the Dakotas in 1812? Or did she live to be nearly 100, among her Shoshone people, spinning yarns of a journey across the continent with a troop of soldiers? “It may never be known for certain...”

What I learned, though, is that she was an extraordinary young woman. She rose above every expectation to hold her own among more than thirty adult white males, and in the process she earned their respect and admiration. She’s earned mine, too.

Building toward that beautifully orchestrated tumble of dominoes—conducting research that begins out of curiosity and progresses to passion and perhaps even to a lifelong interest in a topic—can be a skill that sticks with students through graduation and beyond.

Stacy DeKeyser is the author of the nonfiction books SACAGAWEA and THE WAMPANOAG. Her YA novel JUMP THE CRACKS received a Truman Reader’s Award in Missouri, and has been nominated for South Dakota’s YARP Teen Choice Award. Her newest novel, THE BRIXEN WITCH, will be published in June 2012.

Today’s teachers often look carefully for books that excite their students about reading and writing, and help them see that it can be fun to play with words, whether that word play comes in the form of tongue twisters, puns, homophones or even an invented form of poetry. Cracking the alphabetic code provides entrée into a word-filled world, and through the use of mentor texts such as the ones listed below, young readers may learn to relish playing with words almost as much as playing with their computer games. The following reviews of recent books filled with word play were written by members of the Children’s Literature and Reading Special Interest Group.

GRADES 1-4

Cleary, Brian P. (2011). Six sheep sip thick shakes: And other tricky tongue twisters. Minneapolis, MN: Milbrook Press/Lerner.

Clearly a lover of words, Cleary serves up a heaping helping of 23 tongue twisters that are sure to have readers gasping for breath and forced to rely on outside help in untangling their tongues. This book is filled with unexpectedly strenuous exercises for the tongue as Cleary cleverly plays with language in his usual delightful way. Although the artwork is interesting as well, one of the most appealing elements of this picture book is the author’s suggestions about how to write your own tongue twisters. The information about how tongue twisters are created and why certain words, phrases or letters put together in certain patterns are hard to pronounce is enlightening. This book has great appeal for young readers and will provide more than a few minutes of fun for young and old, possibly prompting the recollection of some old favorite tongue twisters. It is likely that this book will inspire a few more tongues to get tangled as readers try to wrap their mouths around phrases that are almost impossible to pronounce together. Naysayers should try to pronounce the book’s title quickly, and see for themselves just how haltingly the simple phrases fall from the tongue. The vibrant illustrations will amuse readers, sometimes providing clues about how to pronounce the tongue twisters efficiently, but not always.

Barbara A. Ward
Washington State University Pullman

Raczka, Bob. (2011). Fall mixed up. Illus. by Chad Cameron. Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda Books/Lerner.

As autumn comes to an end, this picture book might provide an amusing way to say farewell to the season while encouraging readers to be attentive to detail. But the fall described in the text is somewhat surreal as leaves float into the sky rather than sifting gently from the trees, and youngsters chomp into delicious caramel-covered pumpkins instead of apples. Ouch! The author cleverly mixes the expected with the unexpected so that bears clamor onto tree limbs to gather nuts for the winter instead of hibernating. Under the ground, geese nestle in hibernation, ostensibly taking the place of those large, furry mammals. Readers will enjoy spotting what is not right in the pictures and the mixed-up verses. Readers will laugh with glee at the illustration of a scarecrow keeping watch over rows of candy corn and wince at the description and picture of children frolicking in “heaping piles of sticks” (unpaginated) rather than fall foliage.

Barbara A. Ward
Washington State University Pullman

Banks, Kate. (2011). Max’s castle. Illus. by Boris Kulikov. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux.

As they grow older, all children neglect and/or forget about some of the toys that once were their favorites. In this picture book Max looks under his bed and finds a box of ABC blocks, a dinosaur skeleton and other toys that he hasn’t played with in a long time. He then decides to make a castle using these toys, spelling out words such as WALLS, HALLS and ROOM. Soon Max’s brothers are playing with him and creating an imaginary adventure in which each boy has his own room in the castle with some of the forgotten toys. When Max constructs a MOAT around the castle, his brothers exclaim that they need a BOAT. Later, one of the brothers says, “This castle needs a king,” and Max replies, “I’m the KING.” Each word is revealed through the ABC blocks used in the illustrations. Together, the brothers create an exciting journey with pirates, knights, a dungeon and a dragon. Primary teachers could read aloud this picture book and then provide a box of blocks for children to spell out their own stories.

Deanna Day
Washington State University Vancouver

Lichtenheld, Tom, & Fields-Meyer, Ezra. (2011). E-mergency! Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle.

Filled with pun after pun, this deliciously delightful book has enough clever word play and visuals to brighten a bleak winter morning. Readers will laugh and want to share some of the lines with others. The 26 letters of the alphabet live together in one house, where they have different responsibilities. When the always reckless E is injured while rushing down the stairs, the other letters must take his place. As they fill in, coming together in several unexpected letter combinations, there are several confusing and amusing results, and words just aren’t what they used to be without E. Who knew that E was so essential to communication? Since O is called upon to fill E's place, many confusing words are created, and everyone except the narrator stops using the letter E. The authors capture the personality of many of the letters quite well: Z is always sleepy; X always marks the spot; Q and U always appear together. Back matter includes a list that indicates how often each letter is used in the English language, something students will enjoy knowing. One of my favorite lines involves E's failure to cry even while hurt. Says O, "Sometimes she's a silent E" (unpaginated). The ink, pastels, and colored pencil illustrations add to the fun and the letters' personalities. The entire book is exceedingly clever and particularly punny. The hidden puns on each page are sure to appeal, and even the book jacket shows E declaring that this is “an E-book!”

Barbara A. Ward
Washington State University Pullman

GRADES 5-6

Katz, Alan. (2011). Poems I wrote when no one was looking. Illus. by Edward Koren. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books.

Alan Katz’s newest book is just plain fun … for all ages! Following the success of his first book of poetry, Oops! (Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster, 2008), this new collection offers one hundred original poems that deal with subjects from pizza to pasta to popcorn, from computers to homework to inventions. For example, the poem “How Inventive!”  consisting of opening lines goes like this:

“My name is Albert Feinstein
I’m here with Thomas Pedison.
We’ll meet with Jonas Salkenbaum,
Who’s working on some medicine” (p. 54).

As children enjoy these poems and add them to the Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky shelves of humorous poetry, this collection begs to be to read aloud or used with group reading, choral reading and performance poetry. Ed Koren’s cross-hatched drawings are the perfect complement to add surprise and delight to the meanings of each poem. The poems are almost contagious because it is just about impossible to stop reading them in order to enjoy the wordplay each poem and sketch presents. Other themes found throughout the book include families, sports, and food. A likely favorite is this pithy poem, “In My Opinion,” written by an opinionated person. It begins,

“Baby sister’s hair: shampooable
Mom’s library book: renewable
Dad’s morning coffee: brewable
Little sister’s vitamin: chewable
Me finishing my homework: undoable” (p. 5).

The first line and title indexes make this a very user and teacher-friendly collection. In addition to the author’s website found at http://www.alankatzbooks.com, Katz has developed a website called “Help the Poemless” (www.helpthepoemless.org). Bringing poetry into the lives of children and adults, this website offers a mailing list, several videos, and future poetry activities. As the holidays approach, young readers might also enjoy his 2005 collection entitled Where Did They Hide My Presents? Silly Dilly Christmas Songs (Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster).

Poem aficionados will enjoy watching the author video available at his publisher’s website:
http://books.simonandschuster.ca/Poems-I-Wrote-When-No-One-Was-Looking/Alan-Katz/9781416935186

Karen Hildebrand
Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

Perl, Erica S. (2011). Chicken butt’s back! Illus. by Henry Cole. New York: Abrams.

From the author and illustrator of Chicken Butt! (Abrams, 2009) comes the hilarious sequel Chicken Butt’s Back! In this clever two-voice story, a mother and son visit a grocery store. Each character’s voice appears in a different font type and color, inviting children to read along while laughing at the puns, and then reading them again—and again. Children will learn about homophones and homonyms through this jokester son and his animal friends. When Mom says, “I’ll make this crystal clear: No more ‘Chicken Butt!’ my dear,” the son exclaims, “Your deer?” The illustrations then depict a large deer hiding behind a display of maple syrup. The verbal word game is on with “dear” being exchanged for “deer,” “but” for “butt,”  “bear” for “bare” and “under where” for “underwear.” Henry Cole’s comic illustrations make this wordplay tale even more fun. The “poop or fart” escapades may not be for every teacher, yet most children will be rolling on the floor and requesting more. What’s more: This book is guaranteed to be read numerous times, and the puns will be told and retold, maybe even prompting an original one to be punned—er, penned—in your classroom.

Deanna Day
Washington State University Vancouver

Raczka, Bob. (2011). Lemonade: And other poems squeezed from a single word. Illus. by Nancy Doniger. New York: Roaring Brook Press.

The author takes the letters from one word and rearranges them to create poems in this cleverly imagined take on word play. Thus, from ladybug, for example, you might get

“a
buggy
buddy
a
glad
gal” (p. 20).

The 22 poems are interesting to read and are likely to prompt some young poets to try their hands at this sort of poetry. The topics range from commonplace topics for poetic inspiration such as flowers and spring to less common topics such as television and constellation. Because the placement of letters and spacing is so important for this unique form of poetry, the poems must be seen to be appreciated fully.  One of my favorites is squeezed from the word “spaghetti” and describes someone with a hearty appetite for heaping helpings of the sticky noodles.

Barbara A. Ward
Washington State University Pullman

 

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